How Does the Taxpayer Advocate Service Work for You?

The Taxpayer Advocate Service is an independent organization within the Internal Revenue Service. We protect taxpayers’ rights by ensuring that all taxpayers receive fair treatment. We can also help you to know and understand your rights under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

What is the Taxpayer Bill of Rights?

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights describes ten basic rights that all taxpayers have when dealing with the IRS. Our taxpayer rights webpage can help you understand what these rights mean to you and how they apply. These are your rights. Know them. Use them.

Our site at taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov also can help you with common tax issues and situations: what to do if you made a mistake on your tax return, if you got a notice from the IRS or you’re thinking about hiring a tax preparer.

What can a Taxpayer Advocate do for you?

We can help you resolve problems that you can’t resolve with the IRS. And our service is free. Always try to resolve your problem with the IRS first, but if you can’t, then come to the Taxpayer Advocate Service. The best thing you can do is act now!

We help individuals, businesses, and exempt organizations. If you qualify for our help, your advocate will be with you at every turn and do everything possible.
You may be eligible for our help if your IRS problem is causing financial difficulty or you believe an IRS procedure just isn’t working as it should.
We have offices in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Your local advocate’s number is in your local directory and at taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov. You can also call us at 1-877-777-4778.

We also handle large-scale problems that affect many taxpayers. If you know of one of these broad issues, please report it to us at irs.gov/sams.

The Taxpayer Advocate Service is your voice at the IRS. For more information, visit us at taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov.

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October 6, 2019

By Mike Fitzgerald It has been almost one full year since I retired as the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee in Seattle. I am happy to report that my family and I are enjoying ourselves immensely. As retirement grows more comfortable, I find myself looking back with mostly very fond memories at the nineteen years I served as a Trustee, as...

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Henry E. Hildebrand, III

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